new.22 acquisition

[mescalero1]

My Aunt died recently, and I was in N.M. helping get my uncle out of his depression funk; good news, he had a lunch date with a lady friend and I got him up to karaoke night, he actually sang two songs!
While I was there, unk gave me my Aunt's Remington 552 Speedmaster .22 tube fed auto. (she had already given me her Colt Diamondback) I used to shoot this gun a lot when I was young, and I seem to remember that it had a bolt hold open feature; but could not get it to engage this time.
So do any of you guys have experience with this model?
Does it have a bolt hold open device?
Do I have a false memory?
It is in excellent shape, some of the nicest wood I have ever seen on a .22

[Lefty Dude]

Try here for excellent info:

http://www.rimfirecentral.com

Go to the Remington Forum

[O.S.O.K.]

Well congratulations - though I am sure you would have rather received this at a much later date...

How about a pic or two?

[AJMD429]

I remember a gun (maybe Remington, I think) a friend had as a kid, and that gun had a bolt handle which you pulled 'out' and it engaged a larger opening in the bolt handle channel which prevented closure of the bolt. If you smacked it on the handle (as if driving it into the bolt body) the bolt would slam shut. Unfortunately, it would occasionally FIRE when you did that, so we tried to avoid using the hold-open. It eventually got so loose it 'held' open on its own sometimes.

[mescalero1]

Went on rimfire central as suggested, guy there claims no hold open on 552's so I must be thinking of another gun from my youth.

[jdad]

I've owned three 552's over the years. This is the only semi auto .22, currently in production, that will cycle shorts, longs, or long rifles. It's a piece of cake to clean. Just push out the 2 pins, in the receiver, and the trigger group pops out. Spray the action with some Break Free, work the action a few times, swab with Q-Tips, then spray it out with compressed air. The less lube the better. It will not need to be cleaned again until it starts having cycling problems.

[mescalero1]

Thanks for the tips

[Andrew]

Dad has a 552 Speedmaster and no, it is not a hold open. Yes, it is easy to clean. I have never tried to shoot shorts or longs out of it though; may have to some time. I don't know when grandpa got this gun but the new ones at wally-world are over $450.

Enjoy your new .22.

[C. Cash]

Condolences to you Mescalero....very sorry to hear of your loss.

[2ndovc]

Neat rifles. Sorry about your loss.

I inherited a bunch of guns from my Grandfather. The best part is I can't pick up one of them with out thinking of him.
Though he's no longer with us I can't think of anything but good thoughts when i handle one of his old Winchesters.

Enjoy your new .22!

jb

[mescalero1]

That was my only Aunt, so therefore my favorite one.
But she would have been my favorite if I had 20 of them.
Punched my lights out more than once, but you always knew where you stood with her.
If you done wrong, it did not matter if you were kin or not, you paid for it!

[Ysabel Kid]

That was my only Aunt, so therefore my favorite one.
But she would have been my favorite if I had 20 of them.
Punched my lights out more than once, but you always knew where you stood with her.
If you done wrong, it did not matter if you were kin or not, you paid for it!

Sounds like a heck of a lady. I am sorry for your loss!!!